When we hear travel advice, we usually get a lot of generic nonsense. It might be one of these: Make sure to book window seats, pack light, wear comfortable clothes and not tight ones, make sure to ask for extra blankets etc.
However, not every passenger is the ideal passenger so to say. Many flights are booked last minute, meaning you have to settle for whatever seat you get. If you are immigrating to a new country and have a big family, you can’t always pack light. You won’t think of wearing sweatpants if you have an emergency business meeting to attend to and where “dress to impress” is the norm.
Flights, especially long ones are meant to be life changing experiences. If you will expect your flight to be anything like the comfort of your home, you can keep dreaming, no matter how much planning you do. A flight tests your ability to sometimes stay seated in one place and just think for hours without doing anything. People in our restless generation will be surprised sometimes that they can stay in one place without really moving much. You can make the experience better by watching an in-flight movie or reading a book, but you will often realize that you have to sleep or rest, and the comfort of your bed or sofa can’t be replicated, but it can surely be hacked.
Hacking your flight experience optimally and intelligently can make any flight experience that you have into a first class flight. You don’t need to upgrade or pack anything extra, but make sure you have the essentials mentioned below.
So, here are some tips that include travel gear and other advice that will be handy for every flight that you will ever take.
- Slankets: You need to make sure that no matter what you are wearing and how cold it is in the flight, you need to be comfortable. There is no better way to replicate the feel of an all encompassing warm blanket on a flight other than a wearable slanket. This sleeved blanket has been around for just over a decade. You can classify it as a new revolution, and we at ComfyPlane have perfected the design of our slanket for use on any flight. We have also perfected the kids slanket, for those wanting to travel with big families and wanting to ensure their kids comfort.
- Quality Ear Muffs: This one may not come as a surprise, but the focus here is on quality. Even if you spend more than a few extra dollars to get quality ear muffs, you will only benefit long term. Ear plugs that you get on flight can often slip out and not be enough to cancel out noise. You can also never predict when you might have crying babies on the plane and having uncomfortable cheap earphones, even with the most soothing music can feel painful after a long time. A good ear muff that is comfortable and cancels all noise is what you need to settle for and no less.
- Eye Mask: Now that you have spent some of your hard earned money, there is one thing that may be a no-brainer, but very important to mention. Having an eye mask goes a long way. The key here is to know that you don’t need to go out of your way to buy something big and complex. Anything from a free eye mask that you can request in-flight, or a more expensive one will be ideal. In-fact better save the money for more expensive masks for home use.
- Neck Pillow: No matter how many new neck-pillows come into the market, there is something ubiquitous about the classic comfort neck pillow.You don’t need to inflate them and provided you have purchased the above materials, having a comfortable flight for 99% of the travellers will be very easily achievable. Other pillows may give you a different look and feel, but it may or may not make your flight too comfortable, especially if using a window seat is not an option. Remember, replicating your home is not the mission here, but making your flight comfortable.
- Hydrate: This is less about telling you to buy tonnes of bottled water and more about giving you a simple strategy for staying hydrated. You can always ask for water in flight, so there is no reason to rush into buying too many bottles for the flight beforehand, rather since it is a long flight, make sure to avoid beverages like alcohol, tea and coffee as much as you can. You will realize the benefits later. The key is to stay hydrated and beat dehydration. If you are in for a long flight and can’t stand the plainness of water, try packing powdered drink mixes like tang or kool aid. This will be handy when the in-flight menu is not even fit for prisoners. Staying hydrated is key to avoiding side-effects of non-stop flying.
The key to a great flight is that simplicity and low expectations. As we previously mentioned, don’t expect your flight to be like your bed or sofa. Even first class and business class flights can’t replicate the experience of your home. However, with a little bit of strategizing, the journey to your final destination can be made unexpectedly easier.